


Predispositions

by AllDolledUpPink



Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-21
Updated: 2017-01-21
Packaged: 2018-09-18 21:16:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9403160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllDolledUpPink/pseuds/AllDolledUpPink
Summary: Season 2. Aubrey





	

**January 1995**

 

The case, though gruesome and more than bizarre, had brought about their familiar banter and renewed the easygoing nature of their partnership. She felt more like herself again, and he didn't look at her with worried eyes today. On the contrary, he threw all his theories at her without a single concern that she wouldn't be able to return them with a scientific pitch of her own. He seemed impressed with her women’s intuition on what was going on with Detective Morrow, though he figured out that she was the perpetrator of the recent crimes in Aubrey, Missouri.

 

As they made their way to the Columbia Regional Airport, she gazed over at him in the driver’s seat. She couldn't help feel a little flushed as he undressed another sunflower seed in between his teeth.

 

“Penny for your thoughts, Scully?” he offered with a quick but endearing glance in her direction. His right hand gripped the steering wheel while the other cradled his favorite snack. She stared at the salty seeds in his hand and his eyes tracked her gaze. “Oh, I'm sorry, Scully. You want some?”

 

“No, I'm fine,” she replied quickly. As much as she enjoyed having his full attention while discussing a case, Fox Mulder’s intelligent eyes and raspy baritone also made her feel flustered. “Thank you.”

 

“What?” he inquired with eyes back on the road. 

 

“Do you really believe you eat those because you're genetically predisposed?”

 

He smirked and she felt a warmth spread throughout her belly. These were the effects that he had on her body that she tried to control but couldn't. Sometimes she felt so smitten with him that her need to remind herself that she was a professional, a medical doctor to boot, was starting to become part of her daily routine.

 

“Why else?” He looked over at her with a hint of ‘prove me wrong’ on his face. “Wasn't my hunch about Detective Morrow correct?”

 

“I thought you didn't have those?” she countered jokingly with a raised eyebrow.

 

She was graced with a full-fledged smile this time. It's a sight she enjoyed more than she cared to admit. His eyes slightly squinted when he smiled and the imagery of a younger version of himself before he lost his sister and got exiled to the basement office filled her psyche to make her heart ache a little.

 

“Honestly, Scully, even with all that we saw back there, you don't think genetic memory was a factor?”

 

“Well, at first it was very hard to believe Cokely’s memories could be passed down genetically to his granddaughter, especially since they had no way of knowing of their connection prior to this,” she admitted reluctantly. “You were right, Mulder, but I still can't really explain it.”

 

He hummed his satisfaction at hearing her words and his pouty lips formed into a smug smile. “So tell me about my affinity for these.”

 

He popped another seed in his mouth, the little crunch it gave provided her with a sense of tranquility.

 

“Well, you just like the taste and they may also remind you of your father which in turn provide a comforting memory,” she stated matter of fact. “They’re more of an oral fixation than a predisposition.” 

 

The rise of his eyebrows gave away his genuine interest and surprise.

 

“Wow, Scully, please tell me more,” he teased with a tone laden with innuendo.

 

A slight warmth in her cheeks became apparent due to the direction that their conversation was taking.

 

“Well, I'm certain you're aware of Freud’s theory about the oral receptive personality. There’s a need to reduce tension through oral activity such as, uh, eating, drinking, smoking, and nail biting, just to name a few,” she recited with textbook accuracy. “They are generally needy and sensitive to rejection, and they will easily believe other people's ideas.”

 

A small laugh escaped his lips and his face cringed slightly when he spoke, “Oh.”

 

“Oh no, Mulder, I didn't mean for that to come off like that,” she voiced quickly. Her heart dropped at the feeling she crossed a line. The last thing she wants is for him to think she disapproves of him in any way. It's not very clear why that matters so much to her. She had some idea but not one she wanted to admit. “I wasn't trying to-”

 

“No, no, Scully,” he reassured her. With no more sunflower seeds to hold, his left hand took control of the car while his right hand came to rest over hers. He lightly squeezed her hand where it rested on her left thigh. “You’ll have to do a lot more than that to offend me.”

 

The soft humming of the car engine added to the ambiance of the moment. She looked down to take in the sight of his hand resting on hers. It was warm, soft, and fully encompassed her smaller one. She licked her bottom lip slowly as if doing so would also make the seconds go by at such a pace. It's been a long time since a man had touched her in this way. Though it wasn't sexual, there was something so intimate about it that it made her stomach flip flop with nervous energy.

 

“That's not what I think about you, Mulder.”

 

His hand still covered hers and it didn't surprise her that she didn't mind it. It's something she was accustomed to since Mulder is a tactile person. She ascertained that his fervent search for the truth and it's elusiveness, logically and naturally, inclined him to reach out and touch everything as a form of proof. That was a definite predisposition of his.

 

“You should think far worse of me,” he murmured under his breath. 

 

Her hand shifted under his and their fingers instinctively clasped together like Ying and Yang. She squeezed his hand gently, reveling in their closeness. The horror and contradictions to reality that they witnessed through their work on the X-Files justified this kind of exchanges between them. It may not have been covered during their training as agents or encouraged but they were human after all and needed reassurance. Also knowing Mulder's history and lack of contact with others, even his family, made her feel special. She was the only one allowed into his exclusive club of the FBI’s most unwanted and she cherished that.

 

“It's my choice to be here, Mulder. We have work to do.”

 

He looked over at her, providing another enchanting smile before retracting his hand and returning it to the steering wheel. She felt proud for being able to reassure him with such minimal communication. In the short time they had been working together, their names, looks, and touches have become their own special brand of Morse Code. It was another unique aspect of their relationship that she had never experienced with anyone else, platonic or romantic.

 

“Freud was never my favorite theorist anyway,” he concluded with a shrug of his shoulders. “Contrary to his beliefs, never have I wanted or do I want to sleep with women who resemble my mother.”

 

“Yes, and I certainly have never or will I experience penis envy,” she confirmed with a shake of her head.

 

He parked the car upon their arrival to the airport. They shared a knowing look and burst out laughing.

 

“I really couldn't do this without you, Scully.”

 

He gave her a little wink before stepping out of the SUV. She watched his agile form put on his suit jacket before going towards the back of the car to retrieve their bags.

 

Despite not agreeing with his theories, she trusted him undoubtedly and she knew she would follow him pretty much anywhere he called her. That's what partners do but her subconscious liked to point out that there was more to her feelings towards him.

 

_ Interoffice relationships can be complicated. _

 

Her own words came back to her. It's a predisposition of hers that she could recognize. Involvement with co-workers in the past resulted in nothing but an awkward and complicated mess. She didn't want what she and Mulder have to end up like that. It was best to simply enjoy their connection through the spirit of professionalism and friendship while searching for fulfillment in their work.

 

She stepped out of the car and met him on the sidewalk. His hand gently pressed on her lower back as they gathered their things and walked through the airport doors. 


End file.
